First chilly day of the fall season; cool weather is expected to continue through the week. . . Workmen put down the new cement sidewalk at the Lynn Lawson residence on Briggs Street today; the cement is tinted brick brown to coordinate with the sidewalk next door. . . the hummingbird bookends stand a tad over eight inches and sell for $47.50; have just this one pair to sell . . . the figures for August weren't so good, but then I remembered that we had a sale this time last year so the comparison is faulty . . . can we credit this blog with the clean-up of the Second and State Street site? I would like to think so . . .

I have talked a bit about international radio via the net in the past. If you are old enough to appreciate the music of the 20s, 30s, and 40s, you will certainly enjoy Dewi Griffiths' String of Pearls program on Welsh radio. He provides a history of popular music and musicians every Sunday morning, but you can hear it anytime during the week. So rewarding to us old folks who haven't a decent radio station playing "our" music. To access: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/radio/bbc_radio_wales/news. (If you have not contacted the BBC before, it may ask to install its "IPlayer;" takes just a few seconds.) On the main page, select "music" from the menu on the left and another page will appear; Dewi is frequently pictured there, or you can scroll down to String of Pearls. And while here, also try Beverley Humphreys' Showtime, songs from the West End, Broadway and the movies. (Bob and I are faithful listeners and have been for three years--that's 150 hours, folks!) Of course, you can listen while writing letters or playing solitaire; such a treat.

This postcard has appeared on Eric's site some time ago, but for those of you who missed it I am repeating it here. This is our neighborhood in 1915. (Click to enlarge) The street on the right is North Street looking east. To get your bearings, I have marked The Bare Wall with a yellow-outlined red square. You can see Jack and Bob's yellow house, our neighborhood landmark, just across the street. Briggs Street cuts diagonally across the card from the lower left. The big building in the back was a high school, I am told, and the large building to its left (where the Liquor Control Board now stands) may have been Fink's Brewery (no relation). The Bare Wall block bounded by North, Green, Briggs and Prince Street (once Love Alley; I wonder why?) is the only one still intact in the downtown area. In the 1960s the city had planned to destroy at least one of the structures so that the yards within could be used for public parking. You can't imagine the outcry! I wonder if this picture was taken on a Monday; all the yards appear to be strewn with laundry drying on the line . . . I have another undated card showing the area just to the south and including the Capitol which I will post later.

Matt Simmons puts us on the alert: apparently houses that are empty or appear so are targets for squatters in this difficult economy. Such an event occurred at Green and Herr. Never hesitate to call the police (255-3131) if you see something suspicious. . . JJ sold his parents several candles this afternoon but made them put back the "stinky" one . . . Eric has solved the budget impasse--he is selling off the state to our neighbors. See his solution on his blog; link on the left. . .

Had a very pleasant patio cookout with our friend Lee Spitalny at her condo out Linglestown way last night; Lee does some substitute teaching and, while looking forward to the school year, she hopes she isn't summoned right away. She was once part owner of The Proper Setting in New Cumberland and late husband, Howard, was a major Bon-Ton employee. . . The new books about Pennsylvania have arrived; a little something for everyone: Trains, cooking, crimes, paranormal experiences, breweries, and a lavish, all-color Christmas in Pennsylvania, $24.95. Worth looking over. . . John Goldsmith wants his friends to know that they can see his new condo neighborhood in Palm Springs at http://royalhawaiianestates.org/current-photos/current-photos.html. . .

Apparently the anticipated eatery at North and Susquehanna is not to be; property posted "Build to Suit" . . . Parking at 709 Green restricted for another month as Doug and Amy move closer to realizing their dream home; roof, siding, spouting in place, porch railings coming up as soon as HARB approves the plan . . . told you recently about my fascination with streaming cams. Have found one by Bronco, a Harrisburg trucker, who appears to run day trips between Harrisburg and points west. You can ride the turnpike without driving or paying a toll! The site appears to be active only when he is in the truck, so you'll have to check it out daytime. Try this link: http://bronco16378.camstreams.com/ The site is "chat enabled" so you can talk with a lot of nice people; he has been doing this for four years.

This blog is not intended to address controversial issues, so I apologize for what follows. . . . There is something scary in the air these days; have the Commies been polluting it? Or is this simply the "silly season?" . . . First it has been reported that mothers Uptown have encouraged their daughters to fight, causing a near riot in the streets. Is this the new "parental guidance?" . . . then there is the saga of a man and his dog, the animal "dog-napped" and isolated by the Humane Society which will now spend thousands donated for abandoned pets to hire a competent but high-priced law firm to cover its ass-ets; for dog's sake, give the fellow his buddy and use the money to feed the other animals . . . (do I see fodder for another children's book a la Black Beauty in all of this?) . . . then there is the story of an abandoned right-of-way suddenly reclaimed by a school board on which a fence was erected thereby denying Camp Hill residents access to their garages. There is a simple solution: move the fence back a couple of feet. NO! Too simple in our complex society; rather we will spend thousands for a "feasibility study" and import a dozen "experts" (at great expense) to suggest, ultimately, that the fence be moved back two feet. We need horse-sense, folks, not horse--well, never mind. . . You can at least be happy that I'm ignoring the state budget crisis . . . talk about "silly season" . . .